Minutes of SEVAS meeting Nov 17, 2010

The November 17, 2010 meeting was opened by President Don
Picard. He welcomed everyone and invited new poeple to stand and
introduce themselves.

Don noted that the Minutes of the last meeting were posted on the website. There were no changes suggested to them.

Bill
gave the Treasurer’s report. The only transaction for the month
was a travel stipend for last month’s speaker of $25 leaving a balance
of 3462.55 in the account.

There were two field trips since
the last meeting. One was to Princess Place Preserve and the
other to Smyrna Dunes Park . Although there were no standout bird
species at the Preserve, it was a great day for the outing. Dunes Park
was remarkable for the 15 Wilson’s Plovers and ten Piping
Plovers. Don also noted that the Piping Plovers are moving south
of the park. He and Maureen are routinely seeing them south of
the Hacienda del Sol II where he has never seen them before.

The next field trip will be to Lake Woodruff NWR.

Gail
talked about the Christmas Bird Count which will be held on the 2nd of
January, 2011. Anyone wishing to help should contact her.

Save our Seas, Beaches and Shores.

The
Florida Wildlife Federation, et. al., are starting a petition drive to
place the issue of near-shore oil drilling on the Florida ballot in
Nov. 2012. If approved, the constitutional ban would apply to
Florida's state waters, 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and 10 miles
into the Gulf. Currently, drilling is banned by state law, which
can be overturned at any time. The state House of Representatives
voted to allow drilling in state waters in 2009. Luckily, the
Senate did not act and the ban was not lifted.

It will
require 700,000 signed petitions for the issue to be placed on the 2012
ballot. To download and send a petition, see their website at
www.sosbs.org.

Don emailed Charles Lee asking if there was an official position from Florida Audubon. He did not get a reply.

Should we support and add our name?

The
vote was nearly unanimous that we add our name to their list of
supporting organizations on their website. Don contacted the FWF
and added our organization to their list of supporters. He will
bring some petitions to the next meeting.

We signed on to a
letter from the National Audubon Society asking that Congress ensure
that penalties that BP pays for the oil spill are directed to Gulf
restoration. Letter is attached.

Our November
speaker was Dr. Terence Farrell of Stetson University.
Catching ringneck snakes and redback salamanders in his backyard
obviously planted the seeds for his subsequent career choice. The title
of his talk was Herpetology for the Ornithologist. He cautioned
that birders should look down for snakes while they are looking up for
birds. We may avoid a nasty confrontation. He explained
some of the interactions between birds and snakes and entertained some
of the snake stories from the audience. He also made the case for
looking for snakes as a way to get into different places and finding
interesting birds. It was a very educational and entertaining
presentation.

There was no business from the floor, so the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted.

Don Picard, President

Letter on BP oil spill follows:

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Minority Leader

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell:

On
behalf of our millions of members and supporters, we are writing to
respectfully ask that you take urgent action to support environmental
restoration in the Gulf region during this calendar year. Penalties
paid by BP under the Clean Water Act should be directed to fund Gulf
Coast restoration, which will be critical to the recovery of the
people, economies, and natural and cultural resources of the region. A
key recommendation of Secretary Mabus' official report on the Gulf's
long-term recovery plan; that "Congress pass legislation to dedicate a
significant amount of any Clean Water Act penalties to the Gulf Coast's
recovery" underscores the need for Congress to act.

The
health and vitality of the Gulf is essential to our nation. Not only is
it an irreplaceable part of our environmental and cultural heritage; it
is also crucial to America's economy. It has been six months since the
Deepwater Horizon sank, but the Senate has yet to respond in any
meaningful way. A significant first step would be to dedicate funds for
restoration. BP and other responsible parties are liable under the
Clean Water Act for penalties for each barrel of oil spilled - fines
that could ultimately reach $21 billion. Currently, the law requires
that Clean Water Act penalties be deposited into the Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund and made available for future oil spills.

Without
investment in restoration, the Gulf's already vulnerable communities -
as well as the vital fishing and tourism industries - remain
susceptible to future disasters and slow decline. Restoration needs
span the Gulf's deep waters and fragile coastal areas - including the
Mississippi delta ecosystem, which was in a state of collapse prior to
the oil disaster, cut off from the River's natural supplies of
freshwater and sediment and gashed by pipelines and production canals.
Its barrier islands and marshes have been disappearing at an alarming
rate and the oil spill further impaired their natural buffering
capacity.

In addition, many of the Gulf's fish and wildlife
populations and habitats were already degraded from past activities and
nutrient pollution. The BP disaster could not have happened at a worse
time for many commercially and recreationally important fish species
that were spawning or had just completed spawning, exposing vulnerable
eggs and larvae to the toxic effects of oil and putting the survival of
fragile species even further at risk.

There are many
challenges and opportunities ahead in the long-term effort to bring
back the Gulf's coastal and marine ecosystems and economic vitality.
Clean Water Act penalty funds will be fundamental to the success of our
collective recovery and restoration activities. We look forward to
working with you toward a healthier and more vibrant future for the
Gulf of Mexico and its residents.